Laura Powell spent Memorial Day weekend with her 17-year-old son, Charles. They were not enjoying barbecue or hanging out at the lake or taking advantage of any holiday sales. They were walking in the Carry the Load event, along with 7,000 others who wanted to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and help raise money for veterans, current military personnel, police, firefighters, first responders and their families.

“It was a day that touched my heart not only because of the moving speeches and the powerful testimonies of those soldiers carrying their fallen comrades on their backs, but because of the time I got to spend with Charles,” Laura said.

The Powells were part of Team Highland Park, 50 Park Cities families comprising 150 walkers who raised $2,500 for Carry the Load and the causes it supports. Laura works at Highland Park Middle School, guarding the moat around the principal’s office. Nobody sees Dr. Laurie Hitzelberger without passing Laura.

Several HPMS teachers and administrators joined the team when they saw the enthusiasm of the students. The HPMS student council wanted to put up 2,200 small American flags around the school, representing the freedom every student on campus enjoys thanks to those who put their lives on the line. The HPMS Dads’ Club underwrote the flags and suddenly on the fence around the school there were more than two thousand reminders of why we celebrate Memorial Day.

Team Highland Park was a HPMS Dads’ Club initiative to give dads and moms the opportunity to participate in a positive, patriotic and challenging event together with their children. While walking up and down the Katy Trail, participants passed each other and could look in each other’s eyes and see the commitment to walk further than they thought they could. The walk was 20 straight hours so there was plenty of opportunity for the walkers to push themselves. Many walked all night.

Pryor Blackwell showed me a photo of his feet and the massive blisters he earned while carrying an American flag across Tennessee all night as a part of the flag relay from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., to Dallas where it was presented at the Carry the Load event at Reverchon Park.

As Laura Powell walked with her son, they enjoyed a long conversation where Charles explained to his mom how he wanted to serve in the U.S. military’s special forces someday. As any mother would be, she was scared about her son going into harm’s way, but she tried to not let on.

“After walking with him and listening to his heart and listening to how he wants to make a difference in keeping this country free ... and him assuring me that he will not only be safe but being doing something he loves, I gave him my blessing. That was huge for this over-protective mother,” she said.

I saw a lot of courageous military veterans walking along the Katy Trail on Memorial Day. Now I realize that for every brave soldier serving our country there is a corresponding brave mother.